


Darkness Falls

by SquarePegSaz



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Rise of The Brave Tangled Dragons - Fandom, Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Dark!Jack, Gen, M/M, Many off screen character deaths, parallel worlds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-22
Updated: 2013-04-24
Packaged: 2017-12-09 05:48:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/770696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquarePegSaz/pseuds/SquarePegSaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pitch has been defeated and has withdrawn from the Guardians. Jack feels as though he can finally get on with his afterlife when he finds something very odd; another world. It looks as though Pitch has found out how to get his way in worlds where there are no Guardians to protect people, and Jack has landed right in the middle of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something's wrong here.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time ever uploading fic, so be kind~ I'm mostly flying by the seat of my pants here so I apologise for any and all gaping plot holes. It also means I'll probably be updating tags and warnings as I realise that something is going to happen. 
> 
> Furthermore, I apologise if I break any fic etiquette. Feel free to add comments below on whatever.

Pitch survived the final battle, though just barely. He escaped to somewhere in the world while everyone thought he was dead, giving him enough time to plan his new strategy. Before he escaped he managed to get his hands on something; a special snow globe from North. He knew the power that they held but it was of little use to him while his powers were so weakened. As he grew stronger he unlocked more from the snow globes than North had ever dreamed of... Not only could it teleport him to anywhere in the world, but it could teleport him to other worlds. His dark shadow powers could rip holes in the fabric between worlds, take him anywhere he could possibly dream of; to worlds that were ripe for the taking. If he could not become king of this world then he would just have to take another…

 

Though Jack had become a Guardian now he never really changed. Many children still didn’t see him, didn’t believe in him, but enough did. Enough for him to feel the pall of deep-seated loneliness lifting after hundreds of years. He was real now; he had a purpose. Looking after those children, all children, and bringing fun wherever he could. Of course, he still had the other Guardians to talk to as well now that he was officially one of the team, though he and Bunnymund still had their moments, but that just added to the fun of it – made it feel not so official. Of course, his shirking any and all meetings also made it feel less official! He didn’t really abide by their rules, even if the Man in the Moon had made it so he was supposed to.

Anyway, that was what made Jack Jack. If he attended all those meetings then he was certain that all the fun in his body would be leached out. No, he would much rather be flying all over the world, bringing winter to wherever he could. It was getting harder these days, with the sun beating down in the wrong seasons, but that didn’t matter. Even if the snow melted as soon as he was gone, it was there for a while. He still got the opportunity to cause businessmen to slip on hard pavements, to throw snowballs at the back of perfectly-coifed women’s heads. This was truly the life!

Sometimes, though, just sometimes he thought of that battle with Pitch. That battle had really changed everything for him, for the better, he supposed. He finally had everything that he wanted and more. He had friends and people seeing him and he was having fun. But... But every once in a while, when he thought of that battle, when he thought of how he had nearly ruined everything when Pitch had called him out on their own. He had been drawn, just for a moment, to the promise that Pitch had given him. The promise that people would know of him if they joined forces. He thought of the power he had felt when his ice and Pitch’s darkness had drawn together and he knew they could have ruled together, and a small part of him had wanted that. He had wanted to get what he desired on his own for once. He wanted to take the world and shake it until it finally noticed him. 

No, he thought grimly to himself. That is not what I wanted. I only want people to be happy.

 

Jack was somewhere in Europe (he didn’t really wonder where), crouched on a low branch and tickling snowflakes into the air when something caught his eye. Just a tiny wisp of a something, but enough for him to pause.

“Now what could that be…” he murmured, squinting his eyes. It was starting to get dark, so it was probably just a strange shadow, but… He leaped down lightly, tugging at a breeze to blow him along closer to that which piqued his curiosity. He almost lost it as a spear of sunset struck his eye, but there it was again. It looked like… it looked like one of those portals that North used… But that wasn’t right, couldn’t be. Those portals closed automatically behind North every time he used them to prevent people from accidentally following.

His sucked in his breath softly. There was something about this portal. Something dark. He could feel it permeating the air around him and he could almost smell Pitch. 

His bare feet slowly touched the ground, ice and snow unconsciously spreading out from his toes. This was not right at all. There was blackness and swirling darkness where there shouldn't be. This was not what they were meant to look like at all… His forehead tightened and his fingers wrapped ore closely around his staff, every part of his body telling him that this was danger.

Jack, however, could never resist a good bit of danger. And if Pitch was behind this...  
He let go of his staff with one hand, reaching out towards the portal. It was probably just one of North’s mistakes… His fingers brushed against it and the darkness convulsed. Before he could take a breath the whole portal reached forward, his feet yanked out from under him and he was thrown into that nothingness with a wordless yelp.

 

The darkness receded slowly from Jack’s vision and he raised a hand to his head. What the hell…? He was laying on the ground, his eyes blinking open and staring up to a pitch black sky. It was already night time…? He rolled up to his feet, feeling thankful that his hand could tighten on his staff. He hadn’t lost it whenever… whatever happened.

What did happen anyway? He looked around, hoping for some clues. Everything seemed… normal, he guessed. But something not right. Something was definitely not right. He twirled his staff around, rising up on a breeze, flying high, high up. Everything looked so different… He didn’t recognise any of this. How could that be? He had travelled all over the world every single year to bring winter to every continent… How could he not know somewhere? He slid down a breeze, following the line of the horizon.

It seemed that he was on an island of some sort. Rocks and hills everywhere, some pine trees and…

“What the…?” His mouth opened slowly until it was hanging loosely. Was that… a dragon?! That was definitely some large creature flying in the distance and it definitely looked like a dragon. But that wasn’t possible… right? Dragons definitely did not exist… Right?

Well, regardless of whether or not they existed, this one was heading right for him! Close enough now to definitely ascertain that this was, in fact, a dragon. 

“That... is not right...” He twirled his staff around, ice and snow gathering as he sprang higher into the air. That dragon had definitely set its sights on him.

His heart pounding, Jack drew as much wind to him as he could plummeting straight back down for the earth, hoping to throw it off and find some cover in the darkness of the rocks. 

“C’mon...” he breathed mistily, shooting straight for the earth and glancing over his shoulder. His feet hit the ground hard and he set off straight into a sprint. 

“DOWN!” Someone bellowed and the back of Jack’s neck prickled with heat. He followed the command and felt the breath explode out of him as he slammed into the ground. The hair on the back of his head rippled as, he assumed, some kind of weapon was fired in retaliation. A screech filled his ears and he rolled over to see the dragon desperately beating its wings to gain elevation and escape.

“What on earth are you doing out at this time of night?!” an exasperated and out-of-breath voice demanded. Jack rolled again, up to his knees, and saw the boy who had presumably saved his life.

“Oh. Hello. You can see me?” Jack grinned, still delighted when anyone could. A good few people believed in him now!

“Wha... Of course I can. Did you hit your head?” The boy slung the crossbow up onto his leather-armoured shoulder, his freckled face marred with a scar running down the cheek. His other arm hung at his side, a metal contraption taking place of the forearm and hand. Jack couldn’t help but stare for a moment. 

“Hm? No. I’m fine, though that dragon gave me a pretty good go. Was that really a dragon?”

“Of course it was, which is why I’m wondering why you’re out here after dark. We really try to avoid that... And how did you get on this island anyway?” The boy’s frown deepened as Jack drew up to his bare feet, swinging the staff around until it landed on his shoulder.

“Oh, I flew in. Do you really get-”

“Flew?”

“Well, yeah, I guess so, though I must have fallen asleep for a bit because I swear it was day time not long ago...”

“How did you fly?” Jack could see the suspicion deepening.

“Oh... you know...” He waved his hand vaguely. “Like I always do.” 

The boy’s voice got lower. “You’d better come with me back to the village...”

“Ah, I actually bet going, there was some stuff I needed-”

The crossbow made an impressed wooden sound as the boy straightened his arm out and Jack realised a new bolt had already been placed in there. “Wasn’t a request.” Jack grinned nervously. He was technically already dead, but he didn’t like to test the theory with a crossbow bolt through his chest.

“Shouldn’t you be saving those for dragons?”

“Probably. Best come to come along with me then, otherwise I might not be able to so handily save you next time.”

“Listen, you don’t have anything to worry about; I’m Jack Frost! Ok?” 

“And I’m Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, what of it?”

Wait, what? Jack frowned deeply. How could he be seen if this boy, this Hiccup, had never even heard of him?


	2. We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack begins to find out just what it is that Pitch is up to...

“Now, look here, I can’t go with you!” Jack felt the poke of the bolt into his back, pushing him forward a couple of steps.

“You will just have to. We would all be interested to know how you managed to fly onto our island and where you come from.”

“Where I’m from is a little complicated...”

“Well you’ll have a good long while to discuss it with the whole village.” Hiccup prodded Jack again and they moved along at a stumbling pace, Jack continually trying to turn around and explain himself and just earning sharp jabs from the bolt. He twirled his staff in frustration, snow dancing about them in small flurries.

“Just over that hill,” Hiccup encouraged, pushing them to a faster pace. Jack huffed a sigh, glancing forward. The ground fell away before him as they reached the top of a small hill and the village was laid out before them. He paused, his mouth opening slightly. Most of the village was in ruins, burnt out houses and shacks, some just crumbling ruins from the fire damage they had taken. In fact, only one seemed to have been looked after. Though it had been burnt too the villagers had clearly taken the time to make sure it was livable still. 

“You don’t really look after you village,” Jack said, a little sneeringly.

“Don’t need all the houses now, no sense in keeping them looking pretty,” Hiccup said hollowly, pushing Jack onwards down the hill.

“What do you mean?”

“You saw a dragon for yourself; this is the work they do on our village.” Bitterness tinged the words now and Jack turned again to look at Hiccup, his eyebrows lifting. Hiccup, however, wasn’t even looking at him now, just scowling down to the village, lost in some dark memory. Jack chewed on his lip, facing forward again and walking forward slowly. It was so dark here... 

A couple of people stepped out of the one house that was intact, weapons in everyone’s hands. 

“Hiccup?” a young woman called. “Who’s that?”

“Visitor,” Hiccup yelled back, drawing close to the small crowd. A couple of teenagers, same age as Hiccup it looked like, and an older man missing his arm and leg, instead showing the same handiwork as Hiccup’s arm. The woman who had called to them had a burn scar all down the side of her face, making Jack wince in sympathy, but she glared at him with hard eyes. Her blonde hair was pulled into a strict braid and she raised an axe higher so Jack looked swiftly away.

“Hiccup, how has someone new got onto the island?”

“That’s exactly what I’m intending to ask him, Astrid.”

“I flew,” Jack grinned to the both of them, though his heart was pounding. What was with everyone being so twitchy? And they could all see him? Even the old man was staring straight at him. But no one knew who he was, this was so confusing... Not to mention how they were all dressed and defending themselves. He was definitely not in Kansas any more.

“Flew?” Astrid raised her axe menacingly to his face. “On a dragon?”

“What? No, no, just... by flying.” He twirled his staff and they all went on the defense as wind swirled all around them. As he feet began to lift off the ground he saw something from the corner of his eye. He turned, drawing his feet up and glaring into the distance. Was there someone else around here.

“What time is it?” Jack asked suddenly, unaware of the wide-eyed and gaping stares he was getting. No one responded. Jack turned fully to Hiccup, dropping back down to the ground. “Time?” he repeated.

“A- About two hours after dawn.”

“After dawn?” Jack repeated, looking around again, frowning up at the sky. “Why is so dark?” It wasn’t so much dark like nighttime, just... grey. Everything had a grey tinge to it, as though the night was slowly invading the day.

“It’s always overcast here, but-”

“This isn’t overcast. There’s hardly any clouds, certainly not enough to make it look like this.” He swung his staff again and shot up into the air, snow thickening around him. He looked around and down to the ground. Now he was thinking about it he could taste it on the air, see it on the ground around him - shadows. 

But that wasn’t possible. Pitch had been defeated, defeated by his own creations and never to return again. Or at least for the next few years, he would have hoped. He did not want to be dealing with this, and in an unknown place on top of that, with people who... He looked down to the small crowd, all staring up at him. It looked like the girl Astrid was having some very harsh words with Hiccup on something. Jack shook his head, glancing around. Something had caught the corner of his eye again, something moving... One of the shadows broke away, moving of its own free will without a living creature attached to it.

“Pitch,” Jack growled, clouds gathering above him. He was here. Jack turned, drawing the winds to him and shooting forwards. He had to stop Pitch, stop whatever he was up to!

“Jack!” he heard a yell from below and glanced down to see Hiccup racing after him. He didn’t have time for this.

“Go back! It’s dangerous!” Jack yelled but didn’t stop. Snow started falling thickly and he raced on ahead. More shadows were detaching from the ground, forming. Pitch knows I’m here, he thought grimly to himself. Wind crashed into him, more powerfully than he meant, but it was too much to be thinking about right now with Pitch on his mind. 

It was growing dark, looking like night again, instead of getting lighter with the dawning day. The snow was not helping matters. Stark stones rose out of the darkness like ghosts, Jack gliding around them easily. He stopped. His face rose up to the wind. He could feel something...

“Why, Jack...” a voice purred in his ear and he whirled around.

“Pitch...” he snarled back, gripping his staff more tightly. This was not good. Pitch was floating on a carriage on those shadows, practically eye to eye with Jack who was bobbing about in the wind. He looked bigger than he had last time, darker. The shadows curled around them both, feeling slick and oily on Jack’s skin. These were not made with dream sand, but instead holding their own without anyone else’s power, just Pitch’s...

“I would have never expected to see you here,” Pitch continued, not seeming in the slightest bit worried as Jack’s face grew angrier. “I thought myself quite concealed from all you Guardians, but you even follow me all the way to another world. I’m touched...” he sneered. He curled his fingers by his face, shadows twisting around his hand. “What are you doing here, Jack?”

“Stopping you! Whatever you’ve done here I am going to make sure it ends!” He swung his staff back over his head, snow and ice forming all around him, a bolt of lightning splitting the clouds and putting a distance between himself and Pitch. He swung again and again. A snow storm was forming around them both, ice cracking along his arms.

Pitch didn’t even move. When Jack had fought the nightmares before they had broken before his onslaught, had scattered into nothingness when he touched them with his ice. Now they seemed to grow stronger, getting darker and bigger in the brightness of his lightning. No matter how far back he got from Pitch he always seemed just as close, the shadows reaching towards him.

“Now, now, Jack...” his voice echoed all around Jack. “This little show isn’t going to work like it did last time, and it seems everyone here is already too frightened, might as well just give up.” Jack swiped and slashed at the shadows as they touched his hands and arms.

“No!”

“I’m afraid you don’t have much of a choice... Haven’t you noticed? Our powers are so much stronger when we draw from other worlds. They don’t have Guardians here, nothing at all, and so all that extra power comes to us,” Pitch grinned, batting away a pitiful snowflake, “ And it seems that I have garnered far more power than you have.”

The darkness solidified, holding down Jack’s hand as he yelled wordlessly, his face tight with anger and fear. “Now, Jack. Do you want to tell me what you are most afraid of, or shall I just guess?” Pitch was suddenly directly in front of Jack, touching Jack’s cold cheek with a hand surrounded by shadows.

“Get back!” Jack swiped out his other hand, trying to put some distance between them. Pitch bent his face close.

“Tell me, Jack. What are you most afraid of?” The shadows crawled up Jack’s face, his heart pounding, his eyes wide and terrified. His mouth opened, but words wouldn’t form. His hand scrambled for something to hold onto, something to pull himself back with, but all he grasped was air. 

A moment more and he felt like the darkness would have filled his eyes, would have taken the whole world away from him, but a slight whistling in the air drew his eyes back and the solid thwack mingled with Pitch’s scream of pain was enough for Jack to rip himself away.

A crossbow bolt pierced right through Pitch’s shoulder, the shadows convulsing and writhing with Pitch’s body. Jack was dropped by the shadows, the wind barely drifting around him now. He plummeted, a cry finally escaping his lips. He gripped his staff tightly, breathlessly trying to pull wind to him.

“Jack!” Someone shouted and wind rose around him, just in time as the ground grew beneath him and knocked the breath right out of him. But at least the blow had been softened. Jack scrambled, a low moan slipping from his lips, all his limbs shaking like thin branches in the breeze. Pitch had been so close...

“Jack!” Hiccup shouted again, dropping down next to him. “What happened?! Are you alright? You was that?” he babbled, the crossbow dropping as he grabbed onto Jack’s arm. 

“Pitch...” Jack gasped, looking up, eyes unable to shrink back down to normal size. He looked up to the sky fearfully, desperately. Pitch had also dropped several feet, his shadows trying to hold him up weakly. They were moving away.

“I have to go after him. I have to stop him...!” Somehow... He stood up and nearly fell back down to the ground, Hiccup grasping his arm firmly.

“Stop him?”

“He did this! All of this!” Jack said desperately, clenching his staff. “He has brought shadows and nightmares to your world, this isn’t how it is supposed to be! He shouldn’t be here, but there’s no one... there’s no one protecting your world, no Guardians, I don’t...” He took a breath, trying to steel his resolve. “I have to stop him. I don’t know how he’s done this, but he’s come here and taken away all the light from you world. Things shouldn’t be like this...” He looked back down to Hiccup, who’s face had darkened, anger rising beneath the boyish features.

“I have to go, I can’t let him get away” He pulled away from Hiccup’s hand. Hiccup crouched and picked up his crossbow again.

“I’m coming with you,” Hiccup said quietly. “This is my island and I have to protect it. Even if I don’t really know what’s going on... I’ll help.”

“No, it’s...”

“Dangerous?” Hiccup repeated, raising his eyebrows, then looking towards the sky. “Quick, we’ll lose him.” Jack looked up as well and his face pinched. 

“Fine, quickly.” He grabbed onto Hiccup’s arm now, his icy fingers digging into the flesh just above the metal forearm. His staff swirled and they both rose this time, snow kissing their faces. The wind howled and a fierce determination grabbed Jack’s heart. He had to stop Pitch. Whatever Pitch had done, he didn’t know yet, but he had to stop it... He glanced to his side. With this boy Hiccup.


End file.
